TheOldMan

Our build started last week so I'm feeling a lot more comfortable now. Fingers crossed, we should be on the water later this summer.

Guess bilgerat needs to get posting so we can ask those discrete questions.

I also have a build slot with Stillwater, Oct 2012. I spoke to Kevin yesterday and ours is the next hull to go into fabrication; so maybe sometime in the next month. The late start does not surprise me as I never expected them to hit the October deadline; having spoken to other customers and based on a general feel for the industry. My guestimate was 3-6 months late and it looks as though I won't be too far out. They are annoyingly difficult to contact, not helped by the move but they just seem to be lousy at answering the phone or replying to emails. I don't think they have full time secretarial support so I guess that makes it more difficult. I've paid a big wodge of money (as per contract) so was very concerned by the negative financial info' given above; which is why I spoke to Kevin (emailed on Sunday and he called me 1st thing Monday so no delay there). I haven't seen the CCJs but I'm told they are mostly cleared and relate to some failed distributor arrangements earlier in the companies history. These also explain the lousy credit rating; which Kevin readily acknowledges. I've always found Kevin and Richard to be pleasant and helpful and I do believe that they are completely genuine; working hard in difficult times. I've never been completely comfortable about the way boat builders work; you give them a big chunk of money and they go away and do a bit then you give them another big chunk of money etc. If they go broke at any point you stand to loose your last payment and at best are left with a big pile of bits and an incomplete boat. Stillwater are no different to any of the other builders that I spoke to so I paid my money and crossed my fingers. My fingers are still crossed and will remain so until the boat hits the water but at the moment I'm no more or less anxious than I was over a year ago when I signed the contract. Kevin also discussed some of the support issues and it seems to me there's two sides to most of these.